(FILES) US producer-musician Sean "Diddy" Combs poses with the Global Icon award in the press room during the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on September 12, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
October 1, 2024
HOUSTON, United States (AFP)– More than 100 alleged victims are to sue rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and others for rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation, a US lawyer announced Tuesday.
“This is an important matter that we intend to aggressively pursue,” Texas-based Tony Buzbee said. “We will leave no stone unturned to find all potentially liable parties, to include any individual or entity who participated in or benefitted from this egregious behavior.”
The legal action is the latest against Combs, who was indicted last month on three criminal counts that allege he sexually abused women and coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence.
Allegations have been building against Combs since last year, when singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape.
A spate of similarly lurid lawsuits since describe Combs as a violent man who used his celebrity to prey on women.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. He has been jailed awaiting trial.